Love and Baseball Don't Mix
by ForeverSmiles
Summary: You know the typical Sandlot story. Some girl who conveniently plays baseball meets the sandlot guys and falls in love with one of them, most likely Benny. Well this isn't like those stories. Why? Because love and baseball don't mix. Yeah-Yeah/OC
1. Christine Land

**Author's Note: Hello all! This is my first Sandlot story so take it easy on me, okay? And before you start reading, I would just like to clear one thing up: this is a Yeah-Yeah love story. Not Benny, **_**Yeah-Yeah.**_** If you want to read a Benny story, look elsewhere.**

**I'm making a Yeah-Yeah story because I used to have a crush on him. Oh, who am I kidding? I **_**still**_** have a crush on him! And I thought Yeah-Yeah deserved a story since most of the stories on here are about Benny. Not that Benny isn't awesome or anything but there **_**are**_** other characters in the Sandlot, you know!**

**And I'm writing this story in third person omniscient (if you don't know what that is, Google it) and it's my first time writing that way so it might be bad at first.**

**So…enjoy!**

**-Rachel**

**P.S. In this story, they're older, like pre-teens. So let's just say…Benny's fifteen, Tommy's twelve, and all the rest are fourteen.**

"Hey, Yeah-Yeah!" Ham Porter cried, his words carrying across the sandlot. "Yeah-Yeah? Come on, man, pay attention!" 

"Don't bother," Benny said, grinning. "He's long gone by now."

"He's in _Christine Land!_" Squints mocked, although he had no right to be mocking anyone about a girl, because of his obsession with Wendy Peffercorn.

Yeah-Yeah was staring at a group of girls passing by the sandlot, among them Christine Bates. Christine moved to their small little town last summer and Yeah-Yeah had been crushing on her ever since. He tried to keep it a secret but after a while, it became so obvious that he didn't even bother denying it anymore.

A few years had passed since the summer when Benny pickled the Beast, and the kids were all in junior high now.

"Yeah-Yeah, we got a game to play!" Benny cried, running over to Yeah-Yeah to shake him out of his trance.

"Huh?" Yeah-Yeah said, jerking to look at Benny. "Yeah, yeah, sorry! Game on!"

The other three girls that Christine was with were Lisa Fitzgerald, a bossy blonde who was dating none other than Scott Phillips; Kelly Rogers, an airhead who's only useful thing about her head was to grow beautiful strawberry-blonde hair; and Robin Nicholson, a shy, down-to-earth brunette. Lisa, Kelly, and Robin made their way over to the bleachers while Christine walked towards home plate.

"Mind if we watch you guys?" she asked and no one knew what to say. Plenty of people had come to watch them play before—mostly girls—but no one had ever asked before. They just usually plopped down on the grass without warning, wearing a 'what're-you-gonna-do-about-it?' face.

"Uhh…we don't care," Benny replied and Christine smiled and nodded before walking away.

"Cool beans. Thanks." She smiled at Yeah-Yeah before joining her friends and he blushed, madly.

"Who's swooning now, Yeah-Yeah?" Squints yelled.

"Shut up!"

Christine walked towards her friends as the guys continued their game and sat down by them.

"Chris, what are we doing here?" Lisa asked, impatiently. "I want to watch Scott play!"

"We've been watching your stupid boyfriend play every day since school started. It's boring! Besides, these guys are better," Christine shot back.

"Are not!"

"Are too!"

"Stop fighting! We're already here, so let's just make the best of it!" Robin said.

"Yeah! Besides, Benny is _so_ cute!" Kelly gushed and the other three rolled their eyes.

"Yeah, whatever."

Bertram swung the bat and their baseball went flying across the field as he took off towards first base.

"Told you they were better," Christine grumbled and Lisa chose to ignore her. Smalls threw the ball to Kenny DeNunez, who threw it to Yeah-Yeah, who accidentally let Bertram run by him because he wasn't paying attention.

"Come on, Yeah-Yeah!" Timmy complained.

"Come on, Yeah-Yeah!" Tommy repeated.

"Yeah, yeah, sorry, guys!"

Bertram made it all the way to third base before Benny struck him out.

"Damn. Benny's good," Christine said.

The guys played and the girls watched until the sky started to get dark and their stomachs started to growl and they all knew it was dinnertime.

"Thanks for letting us watch!" Christine cried as they started for home.

"No problem!" Smalls replied, smiling and the girls went one way and the boys went another.

"You can't deny that they're better," Robin said to Lisa, who scowled.

"Yes, I can. I can deny the hell out of it," Lisa argued, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Face it, Lees. Your boyfriend…kinda sucks," Christine said.

"Are we coming back tomorrow?" Kelly chirped.

"I don't see why not."

Cut to the boys, who are trudging home, sweating like pigs.

"I don't want them watching us anymore," Benny pouted.

"Why not? They're hot!" Ham cried, grinning.

"Yeah, but Yeah-Yeah didn't pay attention the entire time!"

"I did so!" Yeah-Yeah argued.

"You were not! You were _drooling!_" Squints cried and Yeah-Yeah shrugged him off.

"Whatever."

"Pay attention next time, man," Benny grumbled as all nine of them slowly departed and headed for home.

When Yeah-Yeah was all alone, he noticed Christine walking home across the street. She saw him looking at her and smiled, making her way across the street, towards him.

"Hey. It's Alan, right?" she asked.

"Yeah, ye—" he stopped himself. His sister and a lot of other kids—not counting the sandlot kids, of course—had told him that his childhood habit of saying "Yeah, yeah" was annoying. He had tried to stop but old habits die hard, I guess. But he tried to control himself around Christine. "Uhh…yeah. But you can call me Yeah-Yeah."

She grinned. "You can call me Chris."

"Okay."

"So you guys were really good. I think my friends wee bored, but I'd like to come back and watch you guys again sometime," Christine said.

"For real?" Yeah-Yeah asked, surprised. Most girls hated baseball and if they watched, they weren't watching the game, they were watching the boys playing the game. It seemed like Christine was full of surprises.

"Yeah. I like baseball."

"No shit?"

"Well…" she paused, sheepishly. "I like watching baseball. Playing it? Not so much."

"Why not?" Yeah-Yeah asked, curiously and she grinned.

"I'd have to learn how not to be afraid of the ball first," she admitted and they both laughed.

"Yeah, yeah, that would help."

Christine wasn't as full of surprises as she'd like Yeah-Yeah to think she is. She'd never admit it, but today when she was pretending to like baseball, she was really just watching Yeah-Yeah play, like how Lisa did with Scott Phillips. She was just as petty and superficial as all those other girls, much as she hated to admit it. She _did_ like watching baseball, she just liked watching Yeah-Yeah more.


	2. Different

Christine did come to watch the sandlot boys play again the next day after school, whether Benny liked it or not. But he didn't mind much, since Yeah-Yeah promised he'd play attention this time. Besides, he liked Christine.

It was only Christine and Robin that came. Lisa flat-out refused to go back and Kelly agreed with her, saying, "Benny's not _that_ cute, Chris!" before the two blondes headed to the other baseball diamond in town, the one that Scott Phillips and his team practiced at.

"Kelly was right for once," Robin admitted as they say down to watch the game. "Benny's kind of cute. _Kind of._"

Christine smirked at her best friend. Robin got really shy and nervous around guys that she likes, so, to make it easier on herself, she refuses to admit that she likes anyone. _"It makes them easier to talk to!"_ Robin had explained to her once.

"Yeah. He's alright," Christine replied, her eyes focused on Yeah-Yeah, who was watching Smalls swinging the bat and chomping, chomping, chomping away on a piece of gum.

Ham caught the ball as it went zooming by Smalls and turned around to face the girls: "Hey, Christine, why don't you sing us a song?"

Christine and Robin started smiling immediately and all of the sandlot boys started to grin, too, because they understood.

Maybe some background information would be necessary, huh?

The first time that Lisa, Kelly, Robin, and Christine ever came to watch the sandlot gang play baseball was last summer, a few weeks after Christine moved there. Lisa had kindly welcomed Christine into their group, claiming that she 'took her under her wing' and started regretting it that very day.

The four of them had walked up to the sandlot, Lisa looking ashamed and embarrassed, Robin and Kelly giggling at their new friend, and Christine up ahead, singing an Elvis Presley song as loud as she could. She was strutting along, waving her arms and shaking her hips, not caring that, as Kelly put it: "cute boys were watching!"

But Christine didn't care at all. She just kept on singing _"Go, Bossa nova, baby, keep on dancin'!"_, strutting along like she was in the privacy of her bedroom, but she wasn't, she was in public. All nine of the boys playing on the sandlot stopped their game to watch hr sing and bounce around and pretend her fist was a microphone.

Don't be fooled, though. Don't think that just because Christine was singing like that meant that she was a good singer, because she certainly was not. Her voice cracked and she hit the highs and lows in all the wrong places at the wrong times, and her singing voice was well, _really_ annoying. The boys were scratching their heads and thinking that she _had_ to know she was a horrible singer, and she did, and that's what amazed them. That she could possibly be the worst singer in the world but that didn't matter because she was having fun.

Yeah-Yeah was more amazed than any of them and kept talking about it long after the others had stopped. He knew she was weird and possibly a little crazy but she was _different_ from all the other girls in town. All they cared about was clothes and boys and being the same as all the other girls. But Christine wasn't like them. She was loud and obnoxious and wasn't the same as everyone else and proud of it. And he loved it.

So it was kind of like their inside joke because whenever Christine saw them, on the streets or at school, she would burst into song and the nine boys would shake their heads and laugh. Not laughing at her but not exactly laughing with her, either.

"I don't think so, Ham!" she called back. "but you can, if you want!"

"What's the matter, Chris? Worried your singing voice got worse? I don't even think that's possible!" Squints teased and Christine stuck her tongue out at him.

"Yeah! Since when have you been shy, Bates?" Benny teased, grinning at her.

"Sing for us, Chris!" Timmy cried.

"Yeah! Sing for us, Chris!" Tommy repeated.

"Don't you have a game to play?" Robin asked them, but Christine was already singing, her voice carrying across the sandlot:

"Yesterday," she started, singing the soft song in a loud voice. "All my troubles seemed so far away. Now it looks as though they're here to stay. Oh, I believe in yesterday."

"The Beatles?" Robin asked, raising an eyebrow but Christine kept on singing:

"Suddenly, I'm not half the man I used to be. There's a shadow hanging over me. Oh, yesterday came suddenly. Why she had to go, I don't know, she wouldn't say. I said something wrong, now I long for yesterday."

Ham grunted in displeasure for her song of choice but the rest of them just stood there and listened to her sing without a word.

"Yesterday, love was such an easy game to play. Now I need a place to hide away. Oh, I believe in yesterday.

"Why she had to go, I don't know, she wouldn't say. I said something wrong, now I long for yesterday.

"Yesterday, love was such an easy game to play. Now I need a place to hide away. Oh, I believe in yesterday." Christine paused and then hummed the Mm-mm-mm-mm-mm-mm-mm part. Then she looked at them and said, "Are you dorks happy?"

They just grinned at her and made fun of her singing voice and the Beatles before returning to their game.

"That was totally random and unnecessary," Robin stated and Christine nodded.

"Yeah, well…"

_Yesterday_ wasn't Christine's favorite Beatles' son, but it was the one she knew best because Lisa would listen to it over and over again whenever she and Scott would break up for a day or when they were fighting, which was at least two or three times a week.

Christine's eyes followed Yeah-Yeah around the field, still chomping, chomping, chomping away on his gum. A part of her wanted to ask him for a piece but a bigger part of her wanted to kiss him long and good and swipe the piece he had in his mouth with her tongue.

She glanced over at Robin, making sure her best friend didn't see her blushing but Robin was too busy doing the same thing with Benny, like so many other girls before her. The whole middle school was practically in love with him but Benny Rodriguez wasn't interested in any of them. Lisa thought it was because he thought he was better than all the girls who adored him, but Christine didn't believe that. Kelly suggested that he was gay, but Christine didn't believe that, either. Christine just figured that once the right girl for him came along, he would take a break from baseball once in a while to spend time with her.

Cuz when you know, you know.


	3. The Pool

Author's Note: This is the last chapter where I'll be explaining stuff. Like, I had to explain Lisa, Kelly, Robin, and Christine's personalities and how they met the boys and stuff. So after this chapter—hopefully!—there will be no more explaining.

**Love, Rachel**

The next week was a scorcher. All seven days were so incredibly hot that all the kids ran to the pool after school. All the kids except for Scotty Smalls, Benjamin Rodriguez, Hamilton Porter, Michael Palledorous, Alan McClennan, Kenny DeNunez, Bertram Grover Weeks, and Timmy and Tommy Timmons, because they had been banned forever from the pool by Wendy Peffercorn. And when she said forever, she meant _forever._

While Lisa, Kelly, Robin, and Christine were all in the crowded pool—it was too hot even for tanning—the nine banned boys were walking, mournfully, by the pool fence, knowing they couldn't enter.

"Hey, look who's here!" Kelly squealed, pointing at them. Scott Phillips, who had just arrived with his gang, scoffed and scooted closer to Lisa in the water. He started ranting about how he hated them and that they were pussies but Christine was already out of the pool and walking towards them.

"Hey, Yeah-Yeah!" she called, and he walked up to the fence that separated them.

"Yeah, yeah, what is it?" he asked, while his friends stopped to watch them—or rather watch Christine in her bikini.

"I just wanted to say hi," she replied, looking up at him. "Hey, I just realized…you got taller than me!"

"Yeah, yeah! Girls like tall guys, right?"

"Yup," Christine replied, grinning. "So why aren't you guys on this side of the fence? It's hot as a motherfucker out here!"

"Squints got us banned from the pool when he perved out on Wendy Peffercorn a few summers ago," Yeah-Yeah explained.

"Shut up, Yeah-Yeah!" Squints cried. "You wish you had the guts to do what I did!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever, Squints!" Yeah-Yeah yelled and then turned back to Christine. "Ignore him. I do."

She laughed. "Will do. Well, I've gotta get back to the pool. Yeah…be jealous!" She walked away and Yeah-Yeah (along with the rest of his friends) watched her leave, her hips swaying and her wet, reddish-brown hair falling down her shoulders.

Christine did a cannonball into the pool, and the splash hit Scott and Lisa directly in the face.

"Why do you waste your time with those losers?" Scott asked, wiping the water off his face.

"I saw you talking to Alan McClennan," Lisa said. "Why do you even talk to him? He's weird."

"I think he's cool," Christine argued.

"Oh My Gosh!" Kelly squealed, gears moving around in her tiny brain. "Chris…you _liiike_ him!"

"I do not," Christine replied, blushing.

"Oh My God, you do. You totally love him, I can see it in your eyes," Robin said.

"Whatever, Robin," Christine mumbled and held her breath before going underwater, letting herself sink to the bottom. She held her breath until she was sure her lungs would burst and then she swam back up to the surface, where her friends were joking and laughing. They hadn't even noticed she was gone. She could have drowned and no one would have even known.

There must have been a hundred people in the pool but Christine had never felt more alone, She missed how things had been last summer when Robin was normal, while now all she cares about is school and being perfect and shit. When Kelly wasn't obsessing over boys all the time. But mostly, Christine missed the old Lisa, the one before Scott Phillips.

Sure, the old Lisa had been just as bossy and annoying as the new one but at least she hadn't been such a damn cliché`.

When Lisa wasn't crying over the latest fight that she and Scott had gotten into, she was following him around to make sure he wasn't with any other girls. Christine questioned their relationship once but Lisa just snapped, "This is what love _is,_ Chris! You just don't _understand!_" After that, she never questioned Lisa's relationship with Scott again.

Christine suddenly wanted to follow Yeah-Yeah and the rest of the sandlot boys, but they were already gone. Was it sad that she missed him already? Probably.

"Guys, I think I'm gonna go home," Christine announced and Lisa glanced over at her while Scott kissed her neck.

"Sure, go ahead." No "are you sure?"s or begs for her to stay, just _go ahead._

With a sigh, she got out of the pool, gathering her stuff and headed for home.

Meanwhile, the guys were still ragging on Yeah-Yeah about his encounter with Christine.

"She was just saying hi. It's not a big deal. I don't even care! Truly!" Yeah-Yeah said.

"Are you kidding? You almost melted into the floor, you was so happy!" Kenny cried.

"I was not!"

"Alright, alright, leave him alone!" Benny said, coming to Yeah-Yeah's rescue. "We got better things to do than make fun of Yeah-Yeah!"

"Like what?" Bertram asked.

Xxx

Christine threw her towel over her shoulder and held her flip-flops in her other hand as she walked up the driveway to her small, white house.

Christine had a big family. She grew up with five brothers and two dogs, not to mention two loving parents.

John was eighteen and in his senior year of high school. He had sandy-blonde hair and blue eyes like his mom. John was always spending time with his girlfriend, Allie, who his parents didn't approve of.

David was sixteen and in his sophomore year of high school. He had jet-black hair and grey eyes and was the rebel of the family. David was always getting into trouble and strolling into the house at three in the morning, claiming to not like rules.

James was fifteen and in his freshman year of high school, a year older than Christine. He had brown hair and blue eyes, just like his father. James was really smart and probably the one in the family with the most potential. He was shyer than most and didn't get out much.

Mark was ten and in the fourth grade. He looked just like James and his father and was the toughest kid in his fourth grade class.

Thomas was three and looked just like John and his mother: sandy hair and blue eyes.

Marty and Alice Bates had John when they were sixteen and still in high school. They got married after David was born and are thirty-four years old now. They own Vincent's Drugstore and will for several more years until Squints and Wendy Peffercorn buy it from them.

Christine's dogs are named Hunter and Jager (Yay-gir). Hunter is a German shepherd-pug mix and Jager is a German shepherd-black lab mix.

Hunter and Jager came out to meet her with flopping tongues and wagging tails. "Hey guys," Christine said, cheerfully, patting their heads before she went inside.

"Christine, you're back early," her mom said, cooking at the stove.

"Yeah, the pool was too crowded," she lied.

"Oh. That makes sense."


	4. Ditching

"Alright, alright, class, settle down," Mrs. Leroy said, holding up her hands as she stood in front of the classroom. It was only a couple weeks into the school year and everyone—including the teachers—were still getting used to being back in school.

Mrs. Leroy's first period math class was quickly quiet as she started in on triangles and formulas and other shit. The scratching of the chalk on the blackboard was driving Christine crazy and she could hear Yeah-Yeah popping his gum somewhere behind her.

Suddenly, her hand shot in the air and she was announcing, "Mrs. Leroy? I think I have to go to the nurse."

Mrs. Leroy turned around in surprise. "What's wrong, Christine?"

"Well," she began spinning her web of lies. "I begged my mom to let me stay home but she wouldn't budge. Moms, right? And I had a _good reason,_ too! You see, I _just_ started my period for the week and I don't have any tampons because my brothers are grossed out by them. So it's like _that's _a mess, not to mention I have the worst period cramps _ever—_"

"_Christine!_ Just _go!_" Mrs. Leroy cried, and she smirked and stood up.

"I might need help finding the nurse's office," she said, smirking.

Mrs. Leroy sighed in annoyance. "Robin, go with her—"

But Christine was already interrupting her. "Alan, you wanna show me?" She was staring directly at Yeah-Yeah and batting her eyelashes in that girly, demeaning way that Kelly had taught her. But demeaning as it may be, she _had_ to get Yeah-Yeah to come with her. Otherwise, there would be no point to her public humiliation.

"Umm…"

Mrs. Leroy sighed again. "Alan, go with her."

Christine took Yeah-Yeah's hand in hers and led him out the door.

"Yeah, yeah, so…the nurse's office is that way—" he started.

"We're not going to the nurse, stupid. We're cutting class! Come on," she explained, dragging him behind her, lacing her fingers in his.

"We are?"

"Yes!"

"Yeah, yeah, but won't we get caught?"

"Probably. But who cares?"

Without another word, Yeah-Yeah let Christine drag him outside drag him outside and down the block, where they were now standing, wondering what to do next.

"We could go to the sandlot," Yeah-Yeah suggested and Christine raised her eyebrows.

"Damn. Sleep. Eat. Baseball. That's literally _all_ you do, isn't it?"

"We wouldn't be playing baseball. And besides, it was just a suggestion."

"Fine, fine, we'll go. Nothing better to do, anyway." Christine started down the street, letting go of his hand and it fell useless at his side before he followed her.

Xxx

When the two of them got to the sandlot, they sat in the dugout and talked. They talked for a long time. A long, _long_ time, actually.

"Damn," Christine said, yawning and leaning against him. "hoe long do you think it's been?"

Yeah-Yeah shrugged. "How should I know?"

"Man…I'm gonna get my ass chewed out for this once," she admitted.

"So why'd you do it?"

"Because I couldn't take another day of Lisa complaining about Scott and Kelly going, 'And I was like, nu-uh! And she was like, yeah-huh!' and teachers going on and on and _on_ about shit I don't _care_ about—"

"Yeah, yeah, okay, I get it!" he admitted, laughing. "But…why me?"

"Why not you?" Christine replied and then realized she hadn't given a serious answer. She shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe because I like you. Maybe because I think you're cool and funny and easy to talk to. Or maybe because I thought you needed to get out more. Who knows? I'm a woman of mystery."

For once in his life, Yeah-Yeah was speechless. "Oh."

"Yeah."

They were both quiet. Everything that they could have possibly said to each other had already been said. They talked about their favorite foods and colors (Yeah-Yeah: pizza and blue; Christine: lasagna and orange) to their home lives ("Okay, I guess," Yeah-Yeah had said, shrugging; "Definitely not normal!" Christine had cried with a grin) to Babe Ruth ("You've heard of Babe Ruth?" Yeah-Yeah asked and Christine rolled her eyes before answering, "I have five brothers, Yeah-Yeah. I know who the Babe is."

So Yeah-Yeah decided to tell her some of, if not all, the things he'd wanted to say to her the past year. "You know, you're not like the other girls at school."

"Don't I know it."

"Yeah, yeah, you're different."

"Good different or bad different?"

"Hmm…both."

Christine raised her eyebrows at him. "You're the only person I know who's completely honest. About everything. _That's _different."

"Yeah, yeah, but—"

"And that. The way you put the words 'yeah, yeah' in front of everything. That's different. Cute, but still different. But that's okay because I like guys that are different. I _like_ different. It's the people who are all the same that have a problem."

"Wow," Yeah-Yeah said. "I'm impressed."

"And you should be!" she yelled, grinning. "I don't usually…open up to people like this. Lisa and Kelly and Robin are tired of my stupid little rants by now."

"I can't imagine why," he replied.

"Are you being sarcastic?"

"No."

"Well," Christine said, standing up. "I think we'd better get home. Walk me?"

"Yeah, yeah, sure," Yeah-Yeah agreed, standing up too.

They walked down the streets with their hands in their pockets, presuming it was around noon.

"Hey, maybe your parents won't find out," Yeah-Yeah suggested after seeing how worried she looked.

"Fat chance," she admitted. "But whatever. It was worth it." And then she shot him a smile that made his heart smile.

"Yeah, yeah, it was."

When they reached Christine's house, her brother David was already home and he poked his head out the front door. "Damn, Chrissy. You're lucky I was here when the school called and not Dad."

"Why are you here? Did you fake being sick again?" Christine questioned as David lit a cigarette and put it between his lips.

"Yup. Needed a day off. I'm guessing you did, too," he answered and then nodded towards Yeah-Yeah. "Who's the kid?"

"This is Yeah-Yeah. My friend, Yeah-Yeah," she replied and Yeah-Yeah spit on the floor upon being introduced.

David's eyes went up and down this new kid, inspecting him to see if he was good enough to be in the presence of his little sister. He figured he was. For now,

"David," he said and hacked a loogie on the porch.

"David, gross!" Christine complained and then turned to Yeah-Yeah. "I guess this is goodbye. I'll see you tomorrow then?"

"Mmm…yeah," he replied and then Christine gave him a goodbye hug, her face in his neck and her eyes squeezed shut. Then she stepped back and smiled.

"Later, Yeah-Yeah."

"Yeah, yeah, later," he said and watched her go inside.

David smirked at him, knowing Yeah-Yeah wanted her. _Goddamn,_ David thought. _This kid has the hots for my baby sister._

Yeah-Yeah turned and walked down the street and David went back inside, following Christine into the kitchen.

"Was that your boyfriend?" he asked, although he already knew the answer.

"_No!_" she snapped, unpeeling a banana and taking a bite. "We're just friends."

"But you want him to be your boyfriend," David concluded.

"Blow it out your ass, Davie!"

"He wants you to be his girlfriend." A blush spread across Christine's face for a second, but then it disappeared just as quickly as it came.

"Shut up. No, he doesn't."

"He does so. Other guys can just _tell._"

"Yeah, I'm very convinced," Christine said, rolling her eyes and finishing her banana before stomping to her room.

Xxx

It was that night at dinner and David decided he still wasn't done teasing Christine.

"Chris has a boyfriend," he blurted out and everyone stopped.

"Boyfriend? What boyfriend?" her dad asked, his mouth full of roast beef.

"He's _not _my boyfriend!" Christine cried, angrily.

"Ooh, is he cute?" her mom asked, excitedly. "After dinner, we gotta talk boys!"

"You're not allowed to have any boyfriends," James said.

"Yeah. Say no to boys," John agreed. "We're pigs."

"He's _not_ my boyfriend, okay?" Christine cried, standing up. "I have a friend who just so happens to be a boy but he's _not_ my boyfriend!"

"You have a crush on him, though," David added.

"_Piss off!_" she screaming before stomping up to her room.

"She definitely has a boyfriend," her dad concluded, leaning back in his chair.


	5. The First Date

Author's Note: This is my favorite chapter so far and I hope you guys will like it too. Not just because Yeah-Yeah's in here but Squints is too!(: Because even though I love Yeah-Yeah, Squints is my second favorite! And he's just so awesome that I had to put him in here. But awesome as he may be, Squints is _really_ hard to keep in character! I hope I didn't do too bad of a job!

Don't forget to review! :D

-Rachel

Christine was working the counter at Vincent's Drugstore after school the next day. It was a slow business day so she was trying to get some homework done.

The bell clinged, signaling that someone was coming into the store and Christine glanced up from her algebra book to see who it was. Yeah-Yeah smiled at her and then walked towards the baseballs. Squints came walking in after him and grinned madly when he saw Christine at the counter and came sauntering up to her.

"Hey, Chris!"

"Hi, Squints," she replied, smiling.

"So Yeah-Yeah and I are going to the fair tonight and we were wondering if you wanted to come with us. And by we I mean him," he said, drumming his knuckles on the countertop.

"Yeah, sure. It sounds like fun," Christine said. "When will you guys pick me up?"

"Umm…five. What time do you get off work?"

"Squints, my parents own the store. I can get off anytime I want."

Squints grinned. "That's true." At that moment, Yeah-Yeah walked up to the counter with a baseball and a few pieces of Bazooka bubblegum.

"Hi, Chris," he said, blushing and started pulling coins out of his pocket to pay for the items.

"Hi, Yeah-Yeah," she replied, knowing that John was watching them from across the store. "Is that all you want?"

"Yeah, yeah," he muttered, trying to count his change.

"Damn, Yeah-Yeah. Maybe you would be able to count better if you weren't ditching math class with pretty girls," Squints said, winking at her.

"Here, I'll just take what you have," Christine said, taking all the change off the counter and dumping it into the cash register. "You'll make it up to me tonight, right?"

"Yeah, yeah—wait, what's tonight?" Yeah-Yeah asked and Squints just laughed and took all the stuff before dragging him out the door.

John made his way over to the counter, but so did Lisa, Kelly, and Robin, who had been wandering the store but had quickly hidden when Yeah-Yeah and Squints came in.

"_Oh My Gosh!_ Alan totally asked you out!" Kelly squealed, clapping her hands and jumping up and down.

"Well, actually, Michael asked you out for him. But I think it's sweet that he's shy," Robin pointed out.

"Whatever," Lisa said, putting her hands on her hips. "All I know is that we have to go back to your house _right now_ to get you ready. John, you're taking her shift." And Christine's three best friends whisked her away before John had a chance to tell her about the dangers of boys.

Xxx

"I'm not wearing a dress," Christine refused, shaking her head at the pink-and-white dress Kelly was holding up. "It's not even like…a real date. I don't even think it's a date at all. Besides, _Squints_ will be there."

"So you want something casual?" Lisa guessed. "I can do that."

"Why can't I pick out my own outfit?" Christine complained.

"Because you have no sense of fashion!"

"If Alan really likes Chris, he'll like her for her and not her wardrobe," Robin said.

"Exactly."

"I beg to differ!" Lisa shot back as she dug through Christine's closet.

"Oh, I just love the idea of love," Kelly said, sighing. "Chris, I'm jealous."

"Why? You always said you thought Yeah-Yeah was weird," Christine replied, leaning against the wall.

"Well, who wouldn't? His nickname is Yeah-Yeah." Christine rolled her eyes. "But I still think he's sweet. I mean, Alan's no Benny, but he's a little cute."

"Well, I'm glad I have your approval," Christine said, sarcastically.

"Here," Lisa announced, coming out of the closet with a white tee shirt, jeans, and converse. "It's casual yet the white tee shirt actually shows off the fact that you're a girl. And it's a short sleeve so maybe he'll let you wear his jacket."

"Damn," Robin said as Christine went to change. "That's smart."

"You three are just lucky to have me," Lisa said.

Xxx

Christine was wearing the outfit that Lisa picked out and put her reddish-brown hair in a messy ponytail when the doorbell rang.

"Don't you people have somewhere to be?" she asked her entire family, who was standing behind her, waiting for her to answer the door.

"We're not missing this," her dad said and everyone else nodded. She rolled her eyes and opened the door. Yeah-Yeah was standing on the porch with his hands in his pockets and Squints was smirking at him from the sidewalk.

"Hi, Yeah-Yeah," she said. "Ready to go?"

"Yeah, yeah," he answered and Christine quickly shut the door and rushed to meet Squints on the sidewalk, dragging Yeah-Yeah behind her.

"In a rush?" Squints teased as the three started to walk.

"My family insists on keeping an eye on me whenever I come within ten feet of the opposite gender," Christine explained and Squints grinned, goofily.

"They must be flipping out now, huh, Yeah-Yeah?"

"Yeah, yeah," he replied, nervously.

"What's the matter?" Christine asked him.

"He's nervous," Squints answered for Yeah-Yeah, sticking his tongue out at his best friend.

"Shut up, Squints!"

"Aww, come on! Hold hands with your girlfriend, Yeah-Yeah!" Squints teased.

Christine glared at him and then took Yeah-Yeah's hand in hers. "Happy?"

"Well now I feel left out," he pouted.

"You can hold Yeah-Yeah's other hand if you want."

"Ugh. No thanks!"

Christine laughed as they paid for their tickets. She knew tonight would be fun.

Yeah-Yeah's hand was sweating and he was afraid Christine could tell. On their way to picking Christine up, Squints had said, "If you don't kiss this girl tonight, I'm telling Ham you give him permission to ask her out." Yeah-Yeah knew Squints wouldn't really but he had made his point.

He tried to shake off the nervousness by telling himself that this was just like the day they ditched school but it wasn't really working. And Squints wasn't helping.

"Hey, there's a game booth over there, Yeah-Yeah!" he cried, pointing. "Win a stuffed animal for your girlfriend!"

"SHUT UP, SQUINTS!" This time Yeah-Yeah _and_ Christine yelled it.

"No need to shout!"

The rest of the sandlot boys passed them and made kissy faces, sending Squints into a fit of hysterical laughter.

"What're you laughing at, Squints? Yeah-Yeah told me you have your own lady love that you're pathetically in love with," Christine said and Yeah-Yeah spaced out while Squints told her about how Wendy comes home from college for Christmas every year and how he couldn't wait to see her.

"Really? Are you guys dating?" Christine asked in surprise.

"Yeah, yeah, he wishes!" Yeah-Yeah piped up, laughing.

Squints just puffed out his chest and said, "It'll happen."

The three of them got in line for the spinny ride that Squints and Yeah-Yeah had puked their guts out on three summers ago. They gave the guy their tickets and Yeah-Yeah got into a cart thingy and Squints got into one in front of them, and would turn around every couple of seconds to make faces at them.

The ride started moving and Christine turned to look at Yeah-Yeah. "You're so quiet tonight."

"Yeah, yeah, I know, sorry," Yeah-Yeah said.

"Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, it's just weird being here with you…"

"So you didn't want me to come?" Christine guessed and Yeah-Yeah shook his head, vigorously and that made him dizzy because the ride was already spinning really fast.

"No, no! There's just something I've been wanting to do all night and—" Christine cut him off by pressing her lips to his. They could hear Squints laughing and yelling obscene (sp?) things about Yeah-Yeah's triumph but neither of them were really paying attention.

When they got off the ride, Squints clapped Yeah-Yeah on the back and yelled, "Way to go, buddy! That kiss was hotter than when I kissed Wendy—and I used tongue!" That made both Yeah-Yeah and Christine laugh until they thought their sides would split.

The rest of the night was spent riding rides and playing games (Christine went home with six stuffed animals—four from Yeah-Yeah and two from Squints) and laughing and chasing each other around the fair. Finally, it was getting dark and Yeah-Yeah and Squints walked Christine home because they were convinced that she would get raped/murdered/abducted if she walked alone.

"Thanks for letting me tag along tonight, guys. It was fun," Christine said.

"Yeah, yeah, it was. I'll see you tomorrow," Yeah-Yeah said and kissed her goodnight, and Christine gave Squints an awkward one-armed hug to avoid dropping her stuffed animals. She walked up to the porch and went inside, and Squints turned to Yeah-Yeah and said,

"Guess I'll have to tell Ham to back off, huh?"


	6. Love & Jealousy

Christine barely got through the front door when her entire family bombarded her with questions.

"How did your date go?" her mom squealed.

"Did he treat you with respect?" James questioned.

"He didn't try anything, did he?" David asked.

"Where'd you get all those?" John interrogated, eyeing her stuffed animals.

"You didn't kiss the boy, did you, Chris?" her dad pushed.

"Guys!" Christine cried. "Nothing happened, so you can all back off, okay?" Then she stomped up to her room and slammed the door.

Xxx

The next day at school, Christine got bombarded with questions by her friends, and secretly wished everyone would just forget about the date and move on. Except for her and Yeah-Yeah, of course.

"Was it fun?" Robin asked.

"Did he kiss you? He did, didn't he?" Kelly gushed.

"Well, what happened? Are you gonna tell us or what?" Lisa asked, impatiently.

Christine just sighed and told them about Squints and Yeah-Yeah winning her stuffed animals and Yeah-Yeah kissing her on the Yo-Yo and them holding hands all night.

"_Awwwww!_" Robin and Kelly moaned and even Lisa smiled.

"That's so cute," she said. All four of them were sitting in Mrs. Leroy's first period math class and Christine could feel Yeah-Yeah's eyes on her and blushed.

Yeah-Yeah watched Christine's friends gush and squeal and go "_Aww!_" and he knew they were talking about last night.

He kind of wished his friends were like that. Instead, they joked and made kissy noises and asked him if he had used tongue when he kissed Christine.

Christine turned around to look at him and then smiled when their eyes met.

"Alright, class, pay attention!" Mrs. Leroy cried, clapping her hands together as class began.

Xxx

Christine was silent at the dinner table, her left hand curled around a piece of her Squints had given her at lunch that read, YEAH-YEAH 3s YOU clearly written in Squint's handwriting. Yeah-Yeah's face had turned beet red with embarrassment but he still managed to look furious at Squints, too. It was cute.

Her entire family had backed off on the whole Yeah-Yeah thing but her dad and brothers had made it very clear that they would kick his ass if he hurt her.

"Christine, are you alright? You're being very quiet," her mother observed and all eyes were on her.

"I'm just tired."

"Did your boyfriend break up with you?" John asked and she kicked him under the table.

"He's not my boyfriend, asshole. And no," she replied, stuffing the piece of paper in her pocket.

"Alright, alright, just settle down everyone," her mom said and everyone was quiet.

**Xxx**

"Everyone says Benny is the hottest guy around but I like you. You're cute," Christine said, turning to look at him. "And I like your eyes."

Yeah-Yeah and Christine were lying in the middle of the sandlot at night, staring at the stars.

"Yeah, yeah," he said, trying to think of a compliment to give her, but his mind failed him. Which was weird because he had been storing up all the good things about Christine in his heart since last year, like a bear storing up for winter.

And that's when he realized it. Christine wasn't a miracle. She wasn't a goddess. She was just a girl.

"Yeah, yeah, I, um—" he struggled to find the right words.

"You can't find anything nice to say about me?" she asked, looking slightly hurt.

Christine was just a girl. And girls sometimes got insecure. And they sometimes got mad over stupid stuff. But if that girl's amazing enough, you learn to live with it.

"How do you know I can't think of anything?" Yeah-Yeah asked. "Maybe I couldn't choose." Christine blushed. He really couldn't think of anything at the moment, but she didn't need to know that.

Christine leaned up and planted an unexpected kiss on his lips.

"What was that for?" he asked, dumbfounded.

"What? Your girlfriend can't kiss you?"

"Yeah, yeah, but—wait, girlfriend?" Yeah-Yeah sputtered and Christine giggled.

"Are you okay with that?"

"Yeah, yeah!" he cried and kissed her, passionately.

**Xxx**

Lisa Fitzgerald never thought she would be jealous of anyone, especially Christine Bates. Lisa was rich, gorgeous, and popular. She had it all. Christine was obnoxious and came from a family of smelly boys and everything about her was so…_average._ That's why it stunned her that she could be jealous of someone like that.

But she was.

Christine had the one thing she wanted most—love. And it's from a boy who actually cares about her.

It kills Lisa to see Christine and Alan holding hands as they walk down the street. It kills her to see them talking and laughing, just enjoying being with each other. Alan's smiles aren't forced like Scott's are. When Christine comes to watch him play baseball, he acknowledges her—a wave, a smile, he sometimes even makes his way across the sandlot to gibe her a hug or a kiss. He doesn't ignore her like Scott does to her.

But most of all, Alan doesn't just want Christine for sex, like Lisa knows deep down in her heart that Scott does.

So yeah, Lisa is jealous of her best friend, Christine. But for now, she'll just bite her tongue and pretend it's not eating her up inside. Pretend like Scott is the guy she's always wanted, even though he's far from it.


	7. Military School

"It's almost _December!_ How can they still play baseball?" Lisa ranted as the four girls watched the sandlot boys head to the sandlot early that Sunday morning.

It was almost the end of November and Yeah-Yeah and Christine had been dating for two months. They had gone through the horror of introducing Yeah-Yeah to Christine's family, and after that disaster (Christine's brothers threatened Yeah-Yeah with death if he ever hurt their sister and her parents interrogated him about his grades, intentions with their daughter, etc.) they decided they could handle anything. Christine met Yeah-Yeah's family, too, but that went much better.

"They love their baseball," Robin joked, watching Benny leave. She still had a massive crush on him but he thought of her as nothing more than Yeah-Yeah's girlfriend's best friend.

"I guess," Lisa agreed, rolling her eyes.

"Well, I'm cold! Lisa, let's go back to your house!" Kelly complained and the three other girls started to leave while Christine stood and watched the boys walk away.

"Chris? You coming?" Robin called and Yeah-Yeah turned around at the sound of a voice. He saw Christine and winked at her before running to catch up with the rest of the guys.

"Yeah," Christine replied and followed them to Lisa's house. They all usually hung out at Lisa's house because it was big and Lisa didn't have any sibling so there wasn't anyone to bother them. Her parents were rich (almost as rich as her boyfriend...but not quite) and were always working so the house was always empty. Robin and Kelly loved Lisa's house but Christine thought it was big and empty and cold. She liked _her_ house because even though it was small and run-down and always crowded with boys burping and farting and making other bodily noises, it was full of _love._ Christine didn't think Lisa's parents even cared about her.

"...so Scott says that he wants to spend more time with his friends which is _ridiculous_ because I barely get to spend time with him in the first place! We've probably spent like, an hour and a half together this past week _total._ I mean, I'm his girlfriend! You'd think after all these months of being together, that would finally start to mean something to him!" Lisa complained as all four of them sat on Lisa's bed.

"I don't have that problem. Daniel is _so_ sweet," Kelly said. She began dating a boy on Scott's baseball team named Daniel Baker two weeks ago.

"Can we _not_ talk about boyfriends, please?" Robin huffed, since she was the only single one in the group.

"Sorry."

The girls went on talking about other things the entire afternoon, but trying to avoid the topic of their boyfriends, for Robin's sake. Christine wasn't really into the conversation. The three other girls didn't notice because she usually didn't pay attention when they talked, but this time was different. Christine was too busy thinking about what Yeah-Yeah told her yesterday.

_"Hey, Chris. Can I talk to you?" Yeah-Yeah asked her, approaching her at the counter of Vincent's Drugstore._

_"Yeah, sure. What's up?" Christine replied, putting her book away. It had been a slow day._

_"Yeah, yeah, umm...well, you know how my dad was in the military?"_

_"Yeah..." Christine said, slowly. Where was he going with this? Yeah-Yeah seemed really nervous and it was freaking her out._

_"He thinks I should join the army. He and my mom are talking about shipping me off to military school after the school year's over," Yeah-Yeah explained, sadly._

_"_What?_ Do you even get a say?"_

_"Yeah, yeah, I wish. But it's not for sure yet! So you shouldn't worry." Yeah-Yeah shifted his weight from one foot to the other, uncomfortably. "I just wanted to let you know what was happening."_

_"Well, thanks, Yeah-Yeah," Christine said, squeezing his hand and giving him a fake smile. He gave her a fake smile back and bid her goodbye before rushing off to the sandlot._

Christine sighed and stared out the window of Lisa's bedroom. It had only been two months since she and Yeah-Yeah started dating, but things had been going so _well._ They had been doing lots of fooling around, barely got into any fights, and already said their _"I love you"s_...and meant it. She knew this sounded so desperate and clingy, but she just couldn't imagine life without Yeah-Yeah.

Christine remembered what she had told him when they were hitting around the three-week mark of their relationship. They were holding hands and walking back to the sandlot (when _weren't_ they going to the sandlot?).

"I don't think I could ever be in a long distance relationship," she had said. "I have to see my baby at least once a week or I'll miss him too much." Then she kissed him on the cheek and he blushed red and they continued along to the sandlot, thinking her words meant nothing.

She blinked back tears and tried to think about something else. School. Her brothers. The store. Lisa's anger problems. Wendy Peffercorn coming back for Christmas break. But thinking about Wendy made her think about Squints, which made her think about Yeah-Yeah. And then she was sad again.

_This sucks!_ Christine thought, angrily. _Yeah-Yeah shouldn't have to go to military school if he doesn't want to!_ But she knew it was his parent's decision and not his.

"Chris? You okay?" Robin asked, tearing her away from her thoughts.

"I'm fine," she lied. Why was it always Robin who asked if she was okay? Didn't Kelly or Lisa care about her enough? Christine just shook the thoughts out of her head. She was just upset and trying to take it out on her friends.

She just squeezed her eyes shut and begged God not to make her boyfriend move so very, very far away.


	8. Forever

"Yeah-Yeah, where are we going?" Christine asked, giggling as her boyfriend led her to someplace mysterious with one hand over her eyes.

"You'll find out! Now hush," he instructed and Christine could smell the dirt and B.O. smell that was associated with the sandlot. She figured that the place would be the sandlot because that's where Yeah-Yeah always took her when he had a surprise. So it wasn't really _where_ they were going but why they were going there.

Yeah-Yeah uncovered her eyes and then kissed her. The big surprise was just them being together. There was snow on the ground as it was almost Christmastime and the two moved to the dugout. It was warmer and more private.

Her boyfriend was planting warm kisses all over her neck when Christine asked, "Have your parents made a decision yet?"

"Hmm?" Yeah-Yeah muttered.

"About military school."

"Oh yeah," he said, leaning back. "I don't think so. They're still deciding. But if they say yes, I go to military school this summer."

"This _summer?_ You won't even get to go to high school with me!"

"Yeah, yeah, I know. It sucks."

Yeah-Yeah and Christine were both quiet for a while, shivering as the cold December winds whipped around them. "Well...at least they haven't decided yet," Christine whispered and Yeah-Yeah nodded. "Did you tell your friends?"

"Yeah, yeah, I told Squints and he told everyone else."

"Oh."

They quickly went back to making out, not wanting to stay on that subject for long. They knew that they only had a few months left together if Yeah-Yeah's parents decided to ship him off to military school and they didn't want to waste a second of those few months. While Yeah-Yeah's lips were on hers, Christine's mind was wandering. How could their relationship possibly work if he was so far away for so long? But the thought of breaking up with him was unbearable.

Christine just snuggled closer to him as he wrapped his arms around and wished she could stay like this forever.


	9. The Final Decision

Christine knew something was wrong when Yeah-Yeah showed up at her door at almost 11:00 at night in the freezing cold. His eyes and nose were red, either from the cold or from crying or both. She hoped it was just from the cold.

"Alan, what's wrong?" she asked. Christine only called him Alan when she was really worried or really angry.

"I, um...my-" he stuttered but couldn't finish because Christine was yanking him inside.

"Get in here, it's freezing outside! Do you want to come up to my room?"

"No one will be going up to anyone's room," Christine's father barked from the top of the stairs. The entire house was sleeping and none of them was very happy about being woken up.

"Okay, Dad," Christine called and quickly shut the front door, and then dragged Yeah-Yeah into the kitchen. "What's wrong, baby?"

"My parents made up their mind."

His words took Christine's breath away. "What did they decide?"

"They're sending me to military school as soon as the school year's over," he muttered, his voice wavering.

"No!" Christine whimpered, falling into Yeah-Yeah's lap. Tears blurred her vision and she let out a sob, clinging to his jacket.

"Yeah, yeah, it's true. I wanted to tell you as soon as I found out, so...here I am."

They made small talk after that but the real question was still hanging in the air. Should they break up now and get it out of the way? Or stay together and try to make it work long-distance?

"So...what do you want to do?" Christine asked after she finally stopped crying.

"I don't know. Long distance relationships never work, right?" Yeah-Yeah presumed and they both nodded.

"Yeah," Christine sniffled. "That's what everyone says."

"Yeah, yeah, but some of them work out. We could try."

"But what if it doesn't? What if it doesn't work and then our break-up just hurts more?" Christine asked.

"More than this?" Yeah-Yeah asked, raising his eyebrows. Christine figured he had a point and they made a silent agreement to try to stay together even if Yeah-Yeah was in military school.

"We still have a few months together," Christine suggested, trying to see the positive side of the whole situation.

"Yeah, yeah."


	10. Reality Sinking In

"...now _no_ arguments!" Lisa cried, putting her hands on her hips and glaring at the three other girls. "We've gone to watch Christine's boyfriend play baseball for the past month and a half! I want to see _my_ boyfriend play baseball! For just one day! Is that so much to ask?"

"But Lees, Chris's boyfriend is going to _military school!_" Kelly squeaked.

"Yes, I know. You all keep reminding me."

It was now the end of March, leaving only two short months for Yeah-Yeah and Christine to be together before he left for military school. Kelly, who had a soft spot for sappy romances, had let Robin and Christine convince her to convince Lisa to let them watch Yeah-Yeah's team play baseball at the sandlot ever since they started up again in February. But now the stuck-up blonde was getting upset - she wasn't used to not having her way.

"But isn't that like, the saddest thing you've ever heard in your entire life?" Kelly pushed. "They'll be apart for years and years!" Christine flinched at that. "Don't you want Chris to spend as much time with him as possible? _Don't you believe in true love, Lisa?_"

"YES! Fine!" Lisa shouted, throwing her hands up in defeat. "God, Kelly, you're so _annoying._ Why do I even bother hanging out with you?"

"Because you love me," the other blonde announced, proudly as she led the way to the sandlot. Lisa and Kelly argued up front while Christine and Robin hung back, their hands shoved in their pockets as they kicked pebbles across the damp street.

"So...he's really going, huh?" Robin asked, quietly and Christine looked at her like she was insane.

"Yeah, he's really going. We've known that he's going for months now. Where have you been?"

"You don't have to be a bitch!" Robin snapped, but then softened. "I just meant...has reality really sunk in yet? That he'll be _gone_ and you won't see him again except for short visits and letters and phone calls?"

Christine sighed, her shoulders slumped. "I don't know. I almost don't want it to. I just...I love him so much." Robin nodded, sympathetically, and Christine hoped that she wasn't secretly thinking she was being sappy. So she decided to change the subject. "So...you still lusting after Benny?"

Robin's eyes grew wide as saucers and her mouth gaped open. "Chris! Shh! Don't say it so loud!"

"I didn't say it loud at all. And there's hardly even anyone around. So, are you?"

"No. A little. Shut up!"

Christine shrugged. "I still think you should go talk to him."

"I can't! I get all nervous and my palms get all sweaty and...oh God." Robin's breath got really heavy but Christine just laughed at her friend's discomfort.

"R, relax. Talking to guys isn't that hard."

"Says you! You _have_ a boyfriend!"

"Yeah...who's being shipped off to military school," Christine muttered, her shouders sagging. Robin tried apologizing for bringing it up and comforting her, but none of it worked: Christine's mood was going to be sour for the rest of the day.

The four girls approached the sandlot to find, not to their surprise, the boys playing baseball in chilly weather. Yeah-Yeah's face lit up when he saw Christine and jogged over to the girls to kiss her and greet her. She tried to act happy for Yeah-Yeah, but Christine was soon depressed as he left and the boys continued the game. He was leaving her so soon...


	11. Okay Without Him

Yeah-Yeah and Christine had had six whole months to be together before Yeah-Yeah departed to military school and now that the day had come, Christine felt like every single day of it had been wasted. Her mom had brought her to the train station and Yeah-Yeah kissed her goodbye in front of his parents and little sister and everyone.

"I love you," he whispered, holding her close to him, never wanting to let go.

"I love you too," she whispered back, burying her face in his neck and inhaling the scent of him, a scent that she wouldn't smell again for a long time. "I'll miss you. So much."

"Mhm," Yeah-Yeah agreed and then promised he would write every week and call her whenever he got the chance. Christine bit her lip and nodded as they finally had to seperate.

"Bye, Alan!" his little sister chriped and he ruffled her hair.

"Yeah, yeah, I'll see you soon." He said goodbye to both his parents and then kissed Christine again before picking up his bags and getting on the train. Christine didn't leave until after the train was out of sight, and even then she wanted to stay. She felt like if she left, the chances of him coming back to her seemed impossible.

But finally, her mother dragged her into the car and Christine had to fight tears the whole ride home. Her mom's comforting words only made her feel numb and she locked herself in her room as soon as they arrived at their house. Her dad and brothers tried to get her to come out, but eventually gave up. She was glad, too. She hated them hearing her cry. She hated them hearing how weak she really was. _She_ hated how weak she really was.

Christine lifted her puffy red eyes to stare at the sky, wondering if Yeah-Yeah was thinking about her, too. If he was missing her as much as she was missing him. She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. She was all cried out for now. And she had promised Yeah-Yeah that she would try to be okay without him, and vice versa. And Christine intened to stick to her promise.

So she blew her nose and dabbed at her eyes before going downstairs for dinner and then called Robin to see if she wanted to sleep over. Everyone seemed to be walking on eggshells around her and normally she would have hated it but this time, she really needed it.

"Just think about it this way," Robin said as the two of them were snuggled into their sleeping bags on the floor of Christine's room, late at night and pigging out on chips and candy. "At least you still have your family and friends around to help you get through this. Alan's all alone. He's not only missing _you_ but he's missing his family and his friends, too."

"_Robin!_" Christine scolded. "Why would that make me feel better? Why would knowing that Yeah-Yeah's more miserable than I am help me in any way?"

Robin pouted. "Sorry."

Christine sighed. "It's okay. I'm sorry for being such a bitch. I just hate that my boyfriend leaves and it's like my whole world is falling apart. I hate how needy I am...how dependant I am on him. I'm pathetic." She groaned. "I'm just like Lisa."

"Yeah, but Lisa is a psychotic bitch and you're less...insane," Robin pointed out and the both of them laughed.

"Am I just being paranoid or does Lisa seem almost happy that Yeah-Yeah's gone?"

"Well, of course she is. Now that Alan's gone, she and Scott are the cutest and most well-known couple in town. It sounds cruel, but Lisa's like that. She _needs_ attention."

"And apparently I do, too...from Yeah-Yeah!" Christine pouted.

"Just stop thinking about him," Robin advised.

"I can't!"

"You didn't let me finish. Just try to focus your mind on other things. And if you happen to think about Alan, try to think of something happy, like how much you love him or a good time you guys had. Try not to think about him not being here or how much you miss him. That'll make you feel better - I promise."

"Wow, Robin. That's actualy good advice. How did you come up with that?"

"Well...I didn't want to say anything because I didn't want to steal the spotlight from Alan leaving but...I told Benny I like him."

"Really? And...?"

"And he very nicely told me that he thought of us just as friends. What a bummer, huh?"

"Aw, Robin, I'm sorry."

"It's okay. And I was really upset at first but then I just stopped thinking about him and...well, let's just say I don't like him anymore."

Christine looked at the sky and wondered again if Yeah-Yeah was thinking about her somewhere and thought that she might be okay without him for _real._


	12. Yeah Yeah's Letter

_Christine,_

_I've been at military school for a few months and I'm missing you like crazy, Chris. I know I've told you this before but I use all the money I get to call home to you just to hear your voice. I miss you so much, babe. Yeah, yeah, I know I say that a lot but I can't say it enough. So the school year just started, how has your first year of high school been going? I wish I could be there. Military school is okay. I like it a lot better now than I did when I first got there. I made a lot of friends - they're good guys. I think you would like them. They're good ol' guys but they don't compare to the guys back home. I miss playing baseball with them almost as much as I miss you._

_I miss the sandlot and I miss the treehouse and I miss the swimming pool. I might be there when Wendy Peffercorn comes back to town for Christmas this year, which Squints will be really happy about. And you, too, of course. I can't wait til Christmas so I can see you again, baby. Yeah, yeah, I got your present picked out and everything. I hope you love it as much as I love you._

_Are you going trick-or-treating with Robin and Kelly and Lisa this year? Are Lisa and Scott McRichie Pants still dating? Any of your brothers graduate high school yet? Fill me in on what's going on with you, Chris! I want to know everything. How are the guys doing? Is Benny still the best in town? Did Squints finally snag Wendy Peffercorn? (That was a trick question.) Is Ham still a ginger? (Haha, also a trick question.)_

_Anyway, I have to get to bed here soon so I promise to call you soon. Write back, okay?_

_Love, Yeah-Yeah_

Christine smiled as she read Yeah-Yeah's letter over breakfast before school. It was early October. Summer came and went and so did the good baseball weather. The sandlot boys were still out there but only for a few more weeks. It was now chilly and Chrisine wrapped a jacket around herself (and shoved the letter in her jacket pocket) before walking out to the bus stop. She wondered if Yeah-Yeah was going to celebrate Halloween at military school. She wondered a lot about Yeah-Yeah as she and Robin got on the bus to go to the high school.

She always felt great when she got a letter or phone call from Yeah-Yeah - it just made her whole day...no, her whole week better. Christine mostly just worried about seeing him when he came back. It was a silly thing to worry about, considering she should be jumping up and down with joy at the thought of him coming home, even for a little while. But she was worried that he might lose interest at military school, or that he might not be the same Yeah-Yeah when he came back. A knot tightened in her throat at the thought and she tried not to think about it. But that wasn't exactly easy since Yeah-Yeah was _always_ on her mind.


	13. Changing

Summer was approaching, and fast. Christmas came and went and so did Christine's time with Yeah-Yeah. They spent nearly every day together but it only made saying goodbye again even harder. Yeah-Yeah had been exactly the same as she remembered him - but now she was starting to get worried.

He had signed his last letter with Alan. Not Yeah-Yeah. _Alan._ And over the course of the last five months he had been saying "yeah yeah" at the beginning of his sentences less and less until he had stopped completely. Her boyfriend had become less childish and more mature and so un-Yeah-Yeah-ish.

"I'm sure you're overreacting," Robin comforted Christine after she had told her all this.

"I don't think so, Robin. Last week we got into a huge fight over the phone because I refused to stop calling him Yeah-Yeah. And he hasn't called me back yet."

"That's probably because he didn't want to waste his money on phone calls to you if you're just going to yell at him."

"Hey! _He_ started the fight, not me!"

"That's not really the point, Chris."

Christine grumbled under her breath and turned towards the television at Robin's house. Why did her best friend always have to be right? Robin was making her sound like some stupid brat.

"What did you guys say when you were fighting?" Robin asked, and Christine sighed.

"I said that I didn't see what the big deal was and he said that military school was changing him and he didn't understand why I couldn't see that," she explained. "But I _do_ see it, I just don't like it."

"People change, Chris. It happens all the time. You just have to learn to accept it."

"It's not that _simple,_ Robin!" Christine snapped. Robin was making her sound like a brat again. But Robin didn't understand...she had never had a boyfriend, so how could she? _Oh God...I _am_ being a brat, _Christine thought.

She just wanted her boyfriend back...


	14. Good While It Lasted

2:57 PM

The time seemed like it couldn't go any slower. The kids in Mrs. Majone's english class were restless, and not paying attention to the movie that was playing at all. Christine's eyes couldn't stop flickering to the clock. Only three minutes until school was out, the _last_ day of school, to be exact. Only three more minutes until summer had officially begun.

Christine thought about popsicles and bathing suits and flip-flops while she waited for those three minutes to be up.

2:58 PM

She thought about swimming in the public pool and sleeping in as late as she wanted everyday and hanging out with her friends _all the time._ She thought about laughter and watching the boys play at the sandlot and wrestling with her brothers.

That was her _dream summer._ The way summers should be. And she was determined to make this summer turn out that way.

2:59 PM

Christine's stomach flip-flopped when she thought of the weekend coming up. As soon as that bell rang, she had to head straight home instead of celebrating and laughing with the rest of the kids. She had to head straight home so she could pack her bags and hop on a train to the military school that Yeah-Yeah attended.

She was being allowed to spend the weekend with him and she couldn't be more nervous. Things had been rocky between them lately - what if it was awkward? What if they didn't have anything to talk about? What if he didn't like her anymore? Or worse, what if _she_ didn't like _him_ anymore?

Christine squeezed her eyes shut, and tried to remember the first time he kissed her, when she went to the fair with Yeah-Yeah and Squints, how his fingers felt when they were intertwined with hers...

She felt a warm, bubbly feeling in the pit of her stomach and she broke into a grin. She just had to focus on that feeling when she saw him tonight.

3:00 PM

RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNGGG! The bell blared throughout the school and all the students jumped to their feet, tossing their books inside their backpacks, and sprinting out the door. Christine took her time packing away her books and slung her bag over her shoulder and walked down the hallways of the high school.

What a year. Her freshman year had just flown by. But now it was a summer, and what a summer it would be. She smiled at the thought of it as she pushed open the front doors of the school and walked out of them.

It was a nice day. Hot enough to run around in your shorts and a t-shirt, but not hot enough where the whole town would be swarmed around the public pool. Christine waved to Lisa as she held hands with Scott in the parking lot, who waved back. Scott, on the other hand, just stared at her as his rich, preppy friends approached him.

Christine continued home and when she got there, she found her oldest brother John, who had graduated high school last week, lounging around the house with his girlfriend, Allie. Her parents didn't approve of Allie, but Christine liked her and thought that she and John were cute together.

"Hey, Chris. Off to meet up with your sexy military boyfriend?" Allie teased her and Christine grinned.

"You know it."

"Oh God, I'm jealous. Young love...it's so innocent."

"Not as innocent as you think," Christine replied with a wink and bounded upstairs when John yelled, "Wait...what do you mean by that?" and Allie started to laugh.

Everything was going to be fine. They would get together and make sure that things were exactly the way they were when they first started dating: all laughs and good times and happiness. She would make sure of it.

Christine paced, restlessly, around her room as she waited for her mother to get home and checked the time, frequently. Ten minutes later - it seemed like a lifetime! - her mom finally arrived and they were on their way to the train station.

"Squints and Yeah-Yeah's family are going to meet us here," her mother said and Christine nodded as she stared out the window. "Are you excited?"

Christine shrugged. "A little. But the whole thing really isn't a big deal," she lied.

"It's a big deal for you," her mom teased, winking at her and Christine smiled, trying not to show her mother how right she was.

**Xxx**

When Yeah-Yeah got off the train, he looked around for a familiar face, and he smiled when his eyes laid upon his girlfiend, best friend, and family. First, he let his family smother him in hugs and kisses, and the fist-bumped with Squints. Finally, he turned to Christine.

"It's so good to see you!" she cried, flinging her arm around his neck.

"Yeah, it's good to see you too!" he replied, grinning down at her. Christine struggled to remember if he had said one 'yeah' or two. Then she decided that it didn't matter and shrugged it off.

**Xxx**

Yeah-Yeah was having dinner with his family, and then he and Christine were going to hang out. Tomorrow, however, was all about the friends that he left behind (particularly, the sandlot guys). He showed up on Christine's doorstep a little after seven and she grabbed his hand and led him up to her room, ignoring the catcalls and kissy noises from her brothers.

"Long time, no see," he teased after she closed the door behind them and she smiled.

"Yeah, I'll say. So Yeah-Yeah," she paused. "or Alan. I don't really know what to call you."

He sighed. "Sorry about being such a jerk about the name thing. I just feel like I've outgrown 'Yeah-Yeah', you know?"

"So, Alan then?"

"Yeah."

"Well, Alan, you're in for a real treat," Christine said, grabbing him by the shirt collar and pulling him onto her bed where they had a long and steamy make-out session.

Christine felt like she was floating. She was in absolute bliss; there couldn't be a single moment in history better than this one, she decided as Alan kissed her neck. She had her boyfriend back and -

_Back,_ a small voice in the back of her mind whispered. _You got him back and pretty soon you're going to have to let him go again._

And then she knew what had to happen.

"Yeah-Yeah, stop," she said, pushing him off of her. Yeah-Yeah stared at her and then grinned, cocking an eyebrow.

"It's Alan, remember?"

"No, you don't understand. Because you'll _always_ be Yeah-Yeah to me. And I love you, Yeah-Yeah, I really do. But I need someone who will be there for me every single day - and that includes physically," she explained, and watched the gears work in Yeah-Yeah's brain.

"What are you saying?"

"This isn't going to work out," Christine said.

"I know," he replied, sadly.

"You're going to find someone else. Someone really great. We both are," she comforted him as he got up off the bed and headed towards the door.

"Yeah. We are," he agreed, flashing a grin in her direction. "Well, it was good while it lasted, right?"

"Yeah, yeah."


End file.
